Mostly familiar faces took the ice Wednesday for the Chicago Blackhawks’ morning skate at the United Center. As the team prepared for the evening exhibition game against the Montreal Canadiens, very few prospects remained.
After trimming the roster to 28 players, it’s become less about evaluating prospects and more about preparing for the regular season for the organization. There are still a few prospects competing for spots, but counting Wednesday night’s game against Montreal, only two games remain on the Blackhawks’ preseason schedule.
The regular season is close, but for center Brad Richards, it’s not close enough.
“I’m not going to lie to you. I can’t wait to get going in the regular season,” Richards said. “Preseason is part of the process, you have to do it and be professional about it, but my last game was June 15, so getting up for preseason games isn’t quite the same as getting into the regular season and getting going with a new team.”
Injury update: Marian Hossa skated Tuesday and Wednesday morning after returning from a minor lower body injury. The winger will get a rest during Wednesday night’s exhibition game.
Goalies: Antti Raanta is scheduled to be in net for the duration of Wednesday night’s game against the Canadiens. Corey Crawford is set to return between the pipes Friday in New York against the Rangers.
Top Blackhawks prospect Teuvo Teravainen is expected to play Friday in New York as well.
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